Reuniting the Light
by Carolare Scarletus
Summary: Reuniting the dead with the living wasn't easy. Sometimes, Severus Snape questioned the universe' decision to make him the keeper of such a strenuous task. But, it was moments like the one with Anthony Goldstein, that reinforced the idea of bringing people back together. AU; Spiritual; Hurt/Comfort


**House:** Slytherin

 **Category:** Bonus Round Entry

 **Themed:** Fall

 **Prompts** : [Pairing] Anthony Goldstein and Severus Snape; [Event] Reunion

 **Word count: 700** (Excluding Author's Note, but including entire Entry and Title)

 **Warning:** This is an AU (Alternate Universe) piece.

 **Characters:** Anthony Goldstein; Severus Snape

 **Summary:** Reuniting the dead with the living wasn't easy. Sometimes, Severus Snape questioned the universe' decision to make him the keeper of such a strenuous task. But, it was moments like the one with Anthony Goldstein, that reinforced the idea of bringing people back together.

 **Author's Note:** All thanks to Kristina, this piece was beta'd just in time. :) I owe a lot to her. Maybe some tookies will suffice? Anyway! Hope y'all like it. I know I do a lot of 'death' themed works, but this one… this one hit home.

 _As always, enjoy_

-Carolare Scarletus

* * *

 **Reuniting the Light**

* * *

Severus didn't want to face them, especially after all they'd been through. Standing there in his ethereal form, he'd been summoned from his eternal heaven by a boy he hardly recognized. He stood on the fringes of something he couldn't reach; the soft barrier hummed invitingly against his fingertips, which he'd raised his hand as if to see if he could still feel. Reunions liked these hardly went exactly how they planned. His body was unbelievably cold, which did little to assuage him. In Heaven, warmth was abundant, and he didn't understand what the universe, or the boy, was trying to convey. If he was meant to reunite him with someone, what was he waiting for? Severus looked around the small room, the window displaying the most beautiful scene he ever imagined. The leaves were falling, each dancing like a colorful bandana without a string. Even in this state, Severus could feel a chill run through him, rich with the aroma of earth. A serene calmness, the likes of which he'd never felt, pressed upon his shoulders. Another leaf fell, the golden-painted hand falling gracefully to the ground.

Spring meant revival; but, on the other hand, autumn meant certain death. Why had he been summoned to witness such an intriguing, yet depressing thing? Severus looked around, curious to find the answer.

Anthony Goldstein was ensconced in the opposite corner of the room, a single photograph in his hand. He'd been looking at it for some time, Severus observed. How could he be be so in infatuated with photographs and not each passing moment of life? How could he love so much a single leaf of gold and not dance with internal happiness when one moves in the breeze or waltzes to join the mosaic of the ground? Was it even possible to miss what brought us into the moment in the first place? The chilled rain, perfect spheres to quench the soils, as much as the honesty of a child's heart?

"The leaves are changing, grandma," Anthony murmured into oblivion. As a deity cleansed from sin, Severus could only watch emotionlessly as the boy bent his head forward and wept.

Just then, Severus felt something tug at his pristine robes.

He looked behind him, finding a glowing hand drawing back to an angelic form. He'd seen the woman before. Dressed in the same robes as he, Severus never had the chance to speak to the woman until now. Not that speaking was the sort of thing most occupants of Heaven did frequently. Sublime serenity engulfed him. Severus quickly looked back at Anthony, watching him intently.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Anthony turned the photograph toward the window, allowing the verbally indebted picture to look. "Autumn was always your favorite season."

 _And, it still is,_ the woman replied at last.

Severus whipped his head around, finding the woman smiling not at him but at the boy. He quickly pieced everything together. It was the time he once again see how the trees were dressed in the many hues of the soil and foliage, see how their bark was their identity, speaking to him of beauty in their own special way. It was the way life gave them, even when he must take, to show that their dance together is both infinite and wonderful. Severus cherished each note, this music that comes as reliably as the sunrise.

 _He was meant for this._

Carefully, Severus grabbed for the woman's hand, revealing her at last to her loved one. He moved toward the boy as he did.

Nothing could compare to the sweet sound of fall. It came to him in the form of a melodious song; perfectly subtle in the thoroughs of a passionate birth, the kind that twirl with vivacious glee. Anthony didn't appear to believe what he'd just heard. And, then, his eyes widened in stunned realization. Severus watched silently as the boy slowly rose from his chair, joining his grandmother. Tears were all that could be seen, and Severus knew he'd done his job correctly.

In the spring, he was born anew.

But, in the fall, he was to join those who'd pass with the ones they left behind.


End file.
